Memorial Day was one of Manuel's favorite days of the school year. Why? Because there was no school of course! Manuel decided he was going to take full advantage of the day off and spend time playing basketball. On his way out the door, Manuel's best friend David called. Davidhad nothing to do, so Manuel invited himto play ball.

basketball court, the two friends began to shoot around. David suggested they play a little one-on-one. The two were having fun at first, but then Manuel noticed David started acting strangely every time he missed a shot or when Manuel would make one. He would say a bad word or slam the ball down really hard on the court when he dribbled.

Finally, Manuel pulled up for a three pointer and made it. He had won the game! He turned to David to shake his hand and say "Good game," but David slapped his hand away. "You cheated!" screamed David. "A real friend wouldn't cheat like that, so do me a favor and don't ever talk to me again!" With that, David stormed off the court and left. Whoa! Manuel knew he hadn't cheated and couldn't understand why David had accused him. What wasgoing on?

1. What do you think made David so angry?
He was probably angry at Manuel for playing better.
He was probably angry at himself for losing.
He was angry at losing, but there are probably other things going on in his head that have nothing to do with basketball.
2. If you were Manuel, how would you handle the situation?
I would find David, convince him to play again, and then let him win.
I would back off and then call or e-mail David the next day to find out what's really bothering him.
I would wait for David to come and apologize to me.3. If you were David, how would you have done things differently?
I would have kept playing until I finally won, so I would feel better about myself.
I would have realized that my feelings were about to explode, and asked Manuel if we could stop playing basketball and do something else.
I wouldn't have been such a sore loser, but I still would have gone home to chill out by myself afterwards.